Principal's Welcome

Dear Members of Villanova College Family
The Gospel reading on Sunday tells the story of Jesus at the well with the woman from Samaria. The woman, a Samaritan, was astounded that a person of Jewish faith would speak to her and ask her for a drink. In the ensuing conversation Jesus shares with the Samaritan woman a little about his mission and the love of God for all.

“Whoever drinks this water will get thirsty again; but anyone who drinks the water that I shall give will never be thirsty again: the water that I shall give will turn into a spring inside him, welling up to eternal life.” John 4: 13-15

Through her interactions with Jesus the Samaritan woman comes to accept him as the provider of living water. Jesus understands her life story and in accepting and not condemning her allows her faith to grow and she in turn brings others to faith in Jesus as Messiah and savior of the world.

International Carnival

The 2017 International Carnival held on Saturday 18 March was a great community event. The College campus came alive with a large crowd of adults and young people constantly moving about the campus taking in all the activities on offer. My sincere thanks to Mr Cameron Clelland and the many stall convenors and volunteers who were a significant part of the organizing team. The efforts of our parents to support the College is appreciated by all in the Villanova College community. Well done to the Parents and Friends Association on a great carnival.

Assessment Block

This week Years 12 and 11 students will commence their Term One Assessment Block on Thursday 23 March. Students have been made aware of the expectations for the Assessment Block and have access to the timetable. It is very important our students are organized and prepared for the assessment tasks. Here are a few suggestions for parents to impart to their sons

Don’t panic

Eat something before the exam

Read all the questions carefully

Use your exam time wisely

Avoid ‘panic talk’ in the schoolyard before the exam

Arrive in good time

Have all the necessary equipment

Know where the exam is being held- which room?

Drink plenty of water

Breathe

Prayers

We keep in our prayers Ms Kristina Whitehead and her family following the recent death of her mother.

May her soul and the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace, Amen

Head of Junior School

The International Carnival is just one of the most incredible examples of the Villanovan Community at its best. The planning and preparation of hundreds of people of all ages comes together in a festival of lights, food, games and music. The College grounds become a place where happiness and celebration is shared between old friends and new acquaintances. Even the weather co-operated!

The food stalls are always the first place I head to as previous years have never failed to disappoint. The grilled octopus at the Greek stall sees me numerous times and then there’s also the temptation of haloumi and souvlaki. Leaving room for some Indian food is important as the aromas across the quadrangle are too tempting to ignore. The tables are all filled as families get to pick and choose their own meals and the conversations and smiles are infectious. Those serving the food are just as jovial and each shift is undertaken with a desire to help ensure all patrons are satisfied.

The rides and games see children of all ages try their luck or test their skills. Whether it’s racing cars, dipping hands in wax or climbing rock walls there’s plenty of opportunities to explore speed, tactile thresholds and heights. Lights flash wildly on toys of all descriptions and the latest craze seemed to be some kind of popping bags (think old school caps we used to throw on the ground) as I walked through the Junior School Precinct.

The queue at the Lob-a-Choc never fails to surprise me – and the number of boys trying to win back their own donations is highly entertaining. The sweet stall is always sought out by my wife and I know that there are still fudge samples hiding in our fridge (that we always find). Parents were enjoying themselves in the bar areas, for once having conversations away from a cricket field, volleyball court or the swimming pool.

The energy of a community making a genuine effort to come together and spend quality time together is always inspiring. There is no agenda other than to have fun, catch up on the latest news and achievements and see each other share the most common ground of all – being Villanovans. Making connections at events such as this really does make a difference to relationships. Boys seeing staff members try their luck on Lob-a-Choc (and miss!) or being with their own families brings a deeper understanding of who these people are who work so hard Monday to Saturdays in the classroom or on the sporting fields. New families being embraced into the tradition of something like the Carnival means another “first” that brings a sense of belonging and ownership. It was wonderful to see some grandparents and special guests of Year 5 families come along to see “my school” – chests filled with pride of some our younger College men.

It is the spirit of a community that is crucial to people loving a place like Villanova. The memories made on nights such as this are the ones cherished in years to come. Being together is what matters above any other element in life. Enjoying the good company and best intentions of all involved fills the heart and mind. Seeing people care after any child like a village does reinforces to me why Villanova is so important in our lives – especially our sons.

Head of Middle School

As the 2017 AFL season launches into action this week, I’ve found myself dusting off my Carlton Blues scarf and supporter’s gear in readiness for Round 1. Unfortunately for Carlton supporters the past number of years have been challenging to say the least and, if our most recent pre-season performances are any indication, 2017 might produce more of the same.

Carlton coach, Brendan Bolton, has always maintained that a great amount of learning can be taken from failures. Not only can individuals and teams learn from their mistakes, each loss (managed well) can strengthen resolve and form an important part of a culture of improvement.

In an education setting, this can be equally true.

Adolescent boys require the support of their parents and teachers to manage both success and failure appropriately.

Celebrating success is vital; however, it is only effective if the reasons for success are acknowledged, i.e. hard work, perseverance, etc.

Equally, using failure as an opportunity for growth must involve reflection about where things went wrong, but, more importantly, how they can be improved for next time.

As parents and educators we need to consider how we support our boys through success and failure to ensure we make the best use of these “teachable moments.”

The first step involves making time for quality reflection so that open and honest dialogue can occur. I encourage all parents to find the time to sit with their adolescent sons over the upcoming holidays and reflect on the successes, challenges and failures of Term 1.

For Carlton players, coaches and supporters, we may have had a tough few years… but all those “teachable moments” will hopefully pay dividends in 2017.

Go the Blues!

Mr Greg O’Neill, Head of Middle School

Further SEL readings:

If you would like to read out more about these Social Emotional Learning (SEL) competencies, the following links provide some very useful insights:

Head of Senior School

As we enter the final phase of the first term, the focus of all senior school students should be on how they are preparing for strong performances in their examinations. One of the intentional messages which has been consistently reinforced in Form Meetings is the importance of establishing a solid platform in Term One which they can continue to build on throughout the rest of the academic year.

If students have been consistently engaging in purposeful study throughout the course of the term and checking their understanding of content through regular dialogue with their teachers, they should be able to enter this examination period with confidence. Alternatively, if students are anxiously cramming in the final days, it reflects poor study habits which can result in underperformance. If your son is experiencing the latter, I strongly encourage you to ask him to name some of the strategies Mr Wall and Mr Mead have been suggesting throughout Form Meetings.

Just a reminder regarding protocols for examinations, particularly for Year 11 and 12 who commence their block this Thursday. Students are to be dressed in full academic uniform and be present for their exams at least 15 minutes before the commencement time with all necessary items of equipment.

I wish all senior school students every success in these exams. When you work to your full capacity throughout the term and record strong academic results reflective of your ability, the rest and relaxation of the holiday period is a fitting reward.

“It’s not in the book or in the writer that readers discern the truth of what they read; they see it in themselves, if the light of truth has penetrated their minds.” Saint Augustine

Ministry

Visit of the Prior General

Last Friday, 17th March, the College played host to the Prior General (servant leader) of the entire Augustinian Order, Fr Alejandro Anton Moral osa. Accompanying him was the Assistant General of the Asia Pacific region, Fr Tony Banks osa. Our two visitors addressed both a small group of student leaders and then the whole College. They offered an insight into the worldwide outreach of the Augustinian order, as well as inviting all of us to focus again on the importance of education and the importance of listening to Christ the Teacher through the Gospel. Many of the College’s recently acquired or commissioned icons and artworks were blessed by the Prior General during the assembly, creating a visible display of and window into the depth and breadth of the Augustinian heritage.

This heritage begins with Augustine’s own story. Even as the Vandals were clamouring at the gates of the North African city of Hippo, where Augustine served as Bishop for over thirty years, his admirers and students were finding ways to save his books – for example by sowing his writing inside other books. By the end of the Middle Ages many groups of like-minded “brothers” had gathered into communities and adopted Augustine’s Rule (a guide for living together as a Christian community). In 1244, a Papal Bull (or decree) gathered these groups into one “order” of Augustinians with one Prior General or leader. The second Prior General, Giles of Rome, was one of the great scholars of the C11th and C12th. Today, the Augustinian order is shrinking in some of its traditional homelands, like Ireland and America, but growing significantly in parts of Africa, Asia and South America.

Lenten Appeals

About 20 hampers are wrapped and waiting to go out to local families from this afternoon (Tuesday). Staff and students drive them out to local families or individuals who may be at risk or doing it tough. The gift of a hamper – which comes directly from a Senior Pastoral Groups – sends a message that the “boys on the hill” are thinking about their neighbours.

Many of the Project Compassion boxes in the Junior and Middle School classrooms secretly fill up not just with coins but sometimes $5 notes. If the boxes could see and report, they would say that it’s not the majority of boys who donate, but a significant minority of students who take seriously the idea of giving up a little during Lent in order to reach out to “neighbours” that we may never know personally, but whose lives we can significantly affect. Project Compassion is all about giving a hand up rather than a hand out. A great privilege of being a teacher is being able to witness when students wake up to the power they have to make a difference – even with how they spend pocket money. What I also see is the growth in character that comes from being able to satisfy something you like – what good is a chocolate milk or a Waterford’s sugar drink if you have it every day?

Return of Project Compassion boxes

All students have been given a small Project Compassion box to take home. It may be sitting in a corner somewhere, waiting to be filled up. (I have spare boxes if another is needed or wanted to take home). Families are welcome either to return the box to school by the end of term (and the proceeds can go into the overall community collection) or please place it in the Collection plate in your parish church over Easter. Thank you.

At the International Carnival AFAS set up a stall to raise solidarity with the wider Villanova community. AFAS creates solidarity by providing an understanding of the hardships and differences of life over in the Philippines as well as creating unity and demonstrating that the only differences between any one of us and any one of our Filipino brothers and sisters is the colour of our skin and the country in which we were born. AFAS set out this year with the intention to really strengthen the solidarity present in the community… and after seeing the number of amazing donations and acts of solidarity at the carnival on Saturday I can definitely say that we are on the right track. Eight AFAS students set up a small stand for information and also to sell biscuits at the International Carnival last Saturday. The number of boys from grade 5-12 who kept popping back and forth during the night to place their loose coins in the jar rather than spending them on another plate of honey puffs was extraordinary! Parents, you should be extremely proud of your boys as this is one of the purest forms of solidarity. Thank you as well to all the parents and staff who were also able to donate as we were able to raise $425 in just four hours. This is almost enough money to send one of our dedicated scholars to school for an ENTIRE YEAR. In the Philippines, school is such a critical factor for breaking a family out of the cycle of poverty for without a senior certificate no one can get a job anywhere. Not even a part time job at McDonalds! So to think that we as a community just greatly improved someone’s life in just four hours is an amazing achievement. Thanks again for helping to create such an awesome start to the 25th year of AFAS. Keep an eye out for more of AFAS in the upcoming terms, especially for how you may be able to support Mission Day.

Daniel Duskovic (AFAS President, 2017)

St Vincent de Paul Hampers

The St Vincent de Paul Easter baskets were distributed in the back half of this term. With the short time frame of 13 days for item collection before wrapping, I was a little skeptical about how generously people would give. These worries were put to rest last Thursday when we organized all the hundreds of donated cans and toiletries allowing us to comfortably 24 hampers. The support and generosity as a Villanova community continues to impress me. I would just like thank you all for helping to make a Happy Easter for people struggling in the Coorparoo community.

Sport

Last weekend marked the last round of the AIC cricket, AFL and volleyball season for 2017. Much planning and preparation goes into each season in order to give each player an opportunity to develop their skills and enjoy the experience of playing school-boy sport. Naturally, the boys and their coaches are competitive and we, as a College, certainly do encourage all team members (players and coaching staff) to be the best they can be and to aim towards taking out premierships or aggregates if on offer. Although winning is not why we participate in sport there is no shame in proclaiming that we wish to be successful and go for the win if done in the correct manner.

At any level in sport it is ideal for all players, coaches and supporters to take their wins and losses gracefully. During this past term we had a number of teams who were able to achieve premierships. Unfortunately we had a number of teams who fell just short and lost their last game and were unable to take out a premiership this year. We had some teams who were middle of the road in terms of results. My personal belief is that the true success of a school-boy sport season is gauged on the enjoyment experienced by each player and the relationship that each player has formed with his fellow team mates and coaches whilst participating as well as their progression of skill development.

I have received a number of positive emails this week from parents who have relayed to me the joy and positive experience that their son experienced throughout the season as a result of being in a positive team environment led by the coaches. This for me is as equally, if not more, pleasing to hear than the number of premiership we won.

Overall, Villanova managed to secure two AIC cricket aggregate premierships, six non-aggregate premierships and a further two undefeated teams in the Year 5 and 6 competition. Our AFL players did extremely well in the inaugural year of AIC AFL to produce one undefeated team from the four entered. Unfortunately, in Volleyball, we were unable to secure any premierships this year. A more in-depth report for cricket, AFL and volleyball is listed below.

Congratulations go to all players on a sensational season, particularly those players whose teams gained a premiership or were undefeated. On behalf of the entire College I wish to thank and congratulate all the coaches, managers and all players who produced their best week in, week out for themselves and the College in order for Villa to have such a successful season. Well done to all!

Just as one season ends the next starts. In fact, the preparations for the up-coming chess, cross country, rugby and football seasons have been in the pipeline for many months, much spanning back into 2016. The Sports Office has advertised the important dates and information regarding Trimester Two sport for many weeks. This information is found on the school website. Morning notices at school during pastoral, the newsletters and the College website are our 3 main avenues for communication. If one needs any information regarding sport please continue to check these avenues.

Rugby and football trials for Year 7-12 are held either on a Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday afternoon. Year 5 and 6 rugby and football are held either before or after school at Little Langland’s or on Whinstanes. The complete training schedule is found on the website. Training will re-commence first day back next term.

A complete set of AIC rugby and football trials for all teams will be held this weekend and the first weekend back next term. As part of the agreement during sign-on, all players must make themselves available to participate in all training sessions and on game days throughout the entire season. I thank all those people within our community who are heavily involved in the coaching and officiating roles at these events. It certainly does take the effort of many people to ensure our boys are getting the opportunity to play sport and to represent their College. Thanks to you all and best wishes for the up-coming chess/rugby/football/cross country seasons!

AIC Rugby and Football Trials

Unfortunately St Laurence’s were unable to trial against Villanova in all year levels of rugby and football this weekend. The weather has had a significant impact on the preparation of both Colleges in readiness for this weekend’s trials. Villanova will now use this opportunity to conduct internal trials for all year levels for both rugby and football at Villa Park. All players are required to attend the trials this weekend in order for coaches to assess all players and make team selections. The only trial matches to be played v St Laurence’s will be the 1st and 2nd rugby and football teams. These matches will be played at Villa Park. Given the inclement weather we ask all parents to be patient with selection/trial process. As we are playing internal games at Villa Park we ask all players to bring two sets of jerseys this weekend, the Villa Jersey as well as any club or multi-coloured jersey. This will help differentiate the teams playing on the day.

Annual Sport Club Luncheon

Please be advised that the annual Sports Club Luncheon will be held at the Gabba on Friday 19th May. This year the special guest speaker is Kerry O’Keefe – Australian Cricket Player and Commentator, as well as Villa old boy and Olympian (Javelin) – Josh Robinson. Tickets are $140 per head and are available for purchase now through the Sport Lunch Invitation. All money raised is used by the Sports Club to improve sporting facilities in many areas across the College. This is an excellent event and I strongly encourage as many people as possible to ask their friends and families along and enjoy an afternoon of fun, food, drink and entertainment. Not to be missed!

Rugby, Football and Chess Trial Schedule – Friday 24th and Saturday 25th March

Please go to the College’s website to view all times and venues for this weekend’s trial fixtures at Villa Park. Simply scroll down on the College’s home page to the ‘Latest News’ section and click the ‘Weekly Fixtures’ section.

AIC Cricket – Mr Chris Everding, AIC Sports Co-ordinator

Last weekend marked the end of the AIC cricket season. Our round against Ashgrove was always going to be tough but we were confident that our sides were going to be competitive and that we could possibly come away with 6 aggregate premierships. Unfortunately, we finished with 2 aggregate premierships after a very hard fought round.

Overall, Villa finished 3rd in the aggregate behind Ashgrove and St. Laurence’s College but we were really only 7 wins away from retaining the aggregate shield. The two rounds against Padua and SPLC hit us hard and the 2nds, 3rds, 10A and 10B premiership games all came down to the final round, but Ashgrove were too strong on the day.

Congratulations to the 8B and 7B sides for winning aggregate premierships and to the 8C, 7C and 7 Gold teams were the only non-aggregate premiership winning teams.

In the Junior School two sides, 6A and 6 Green, went through the season undefeated, while the 6B and 5 White sides only lost 1 game.

Congratulations also to the following year 7-open teams for their top 3 finishes:

2nd place- 3rd XI, 10A and 10B

3rd place- 2nd XI and 9C

AIC Cricket Premierships and Undefeated Year 5 and 6 Teams/Coaches

8B – Ryan Carr

8C – Neville Jeffs

7B – Ravin De Wijeyeratne and Damon Mulcahy

7C – Ben Lynam

7 Gold – Matt Smith

6A – Stewart Rieck

6 Green – Matthew Watson and Dominic Coote

Many thanks goes to the following who coached a team this year. Your efforts have enabled the boys to work hard and achieve very good results all season.

I would like to make special mention to following group of Old Boys, who have returned to the College and helped out with the program. Some of these young men are only in their first year out but they have made the effort to get involved and the impact they have had on the boys, particularly the Junior School boys, has been invaluable and they all thoroughly enjoyed having these men as coaches:

Without the support of the our parents and Old Boys, it would be difficult to field all of these cricket teams, so again thank you.

Thanks also to the self-elected cricket managers who assisted with the running of matches, organised rosters, scored and organised morning or afternoon teas for players and their families.

Thanks also to Nathan Dufty for coordinating the coaches and helping to run training sessions for many of our cricket teams and to David Short for his invaluable assistance with the cricket program.

AIC Volleyball – Ms Barbara Dewis, AIC Volleyball Co-ordinator

The AIC Volleyball season began well; however, Villa’s endeavour to improve on the previous year’s results was not to be. Villa finished a creditable sixth in the overall aggregate. This may be a disappointing result but there were some memorable moments that are worth mentioning – 10A’s thrilling win over SEC which had the supporters on their feet as each rally was played; 7A emphatic win over Padua with only six players as well as the much talked about win on SPLC, and most importantly, the 3-2 win against SPLC by the 1sts at home.

2017 Volleyball had begun at the beginning of Term Four the previous year. There were trials for team selections as well as preparations for some teams to participate in two separate competitions prior to the season commencing. In total, Villa nominated 19 teams to participate in the AIC Volleyball season. Coaches were challenged in making their selections for those teams. Once again there was a large contingent of boys vying for selection.

As mentioned above, prior to the trials beginning in November, Villa entered two teams in the inaugural Provence Cup that was organised by Iona College. The Provence Cup will now provide Villa with a platform to gauge players’ performance as a precursor to the National Volleyball Schools Cup held in Melbourne each year.

Trial games against, SLC, Iona and Marish Ashgrove allowed each coach to finalise their team selections. Amid these trials was a coaching clinic for all players to further develop their skills prior to the commencement of the season proper. The younger players were introduced to some phrases such as ‘Bow & Arrow’(serving); ‘Pray set out’(setting) ‘Batman, Superman, Robin, Kapow’(hitting) and ‘Look through the net’. These phrases will resonate as each new player is introduced to the game of volleyball. I encourage all players to reflect on their individual performance to help them in preparations for next season.

I would like to say ‘Thank You’ to all coaches for their time and patience in sharing their knowledge of the game to the players. Thanks must also go to all players and to their parents especially, who come to each game to give support and encouragement during games.

This year we say farewell to a number of families who have been involved in volleyball here at the College since I arrived. Those families are – Cooke (Charlie); Price (Paddy); Rhodes (Julian); Gilhooley (Jack); Templeton (Lochie) and Dwyer (Patrick). The Villanova volleyball community thank you for the memories of your son’s volleyball journey at Villa.

One family, in particular, is worth mentioning in saying ‘Thank You’ are Brad and Vicki Templeton for their tireless work in the canteen throughout many volleyball campaigns. They were also representatives for volleyball at Sports Club meetings that are held throughout the year.

‘Life is like VOLLEYBALL…we SERVE ourselves, we PASS things along, we SET things up, and we FINISH things off. Sometimes we have to recover, but eventually we ROTATE and the cycle continues.’ C. Tracey

AIC Chess – Mrs Sally England, AIC Chess Co-ordinator

This Friday we will be competing in the first trial game for the season against St Laurence’s at home. All three levels will compete – Junior, Intermediate and Senior. The game will kick off as soon as the teams arrive. Two games will be played and we hope to be finished sometime around 5:30pm hopefully 6:00pm at the latest.

The boys play in their formal uniform not sports uniform. The Juniors will play in the lower library and can be picked up from there. We are not providing afternoon tea this week so please bring food for after school. The first week back will also have a trial game will be away. The boys will travel by bus and be returned to the college usually by 6:30-7:00pm.

Coaching has finished for this term and will recommence on Friday, April 21 at 7.30 in the library. Good luck to the boys on Friday but enjoyment for the night is the main priority.

AIC AFL – Mr Adam Fry, AIC AFL Co-ordinator

What a fantastic year for Villa AFL. In the inaugural AIC competition, we had over 60 players don the Green and Gold for what was a terrific season of footy. It was fantastic to see from the very first trials back in 2016 the eagerness and determination to do well and compete amongst some of the big AIC schools. From the very first weekend both Mr Conlan and I could see the fight in these boys across all grades and that never waned until our last game on Saturday.

A special mention must go to the year 6A team on an undefeated premiership season. It was incredible to watch your skill, teamwork and, of course, sportsmanship across the whole competition. Unfortunately, our other 3 teams fell just short but I know that we are all keen to get “stuck back in” for next season. I applaud all players on their continual effort, respect and comradery amongst the group and it has been a huge thrill for both Matt and I to coach the boys throughout the whole season.

I would like to say a big thank you to firstly all the parents for your continual support and running around for each boy to ensure that we had such a successful season. I would like to say thank you to Craig, Erika, Blake and Chris in the sports office for all your work behind the scenes to ensure a fantastic season. Finally, I would like to say a massive thank you to all coaches: Sean, Joel and, of course, Matt for your hard work and dedication to these players throughout the season. Without our coaches our season would not have been even close to what it was and the boys thoroughly enjoyed having you all show them your skill and commitment to the cause.

It has been an unforgettable season of Villa AFL and that would not have been possible without all our players putting in one hundred percent week in, week out. I look forward to trials and training getting underway at the end of 2017 and cannot wait for round one in 2018.

AIC Cross Country

Information regarding the up-coming AIC Cross Country season and the commencement dates for training will be published in next week’s newsletter. Please stay tuned.

AIC Rugby and Football Training/Trials

The complete Year 5-12 Rugby and Football training schedule is posted on the College’s website under the AIC rugby and AIC Football sections. Training/trials have begun. Training will continue next week as per training schedule below.

Once all Year 5 and 6 teams have been selected they will then move to a different training schedule commencing Week Two Term Two. All Year 7-12 will remain the same as below.

ALL Years 5 and 6 parents are asked to be patient regarding selections for both football and rugby teams. The process of placing boys into teams is a difficult one and will take quite a long period of time before coaches start to settle on teams. There is a trial this Saturday, training next week and the first week back followed by another trial against SPLC. The coaches will not really know the final make-up of teams until after this final trial on the 22nd April. If students are away from school and miss a trial, it will not have any impact on the placement of the student but could, if they miss too much of the trial process. Please do not worry about this and let your son know that he should not be worried. All students signed up will make a team. As we have said on many occasions, we just want to get as many boys out playing for Villa as possible, regardless of the side they make or don’t make and we feel it is important for parents to speak with their sons rather than trying to undermine coaches.

Please note

Rugby and Football Trials will continue next week. This is the last week of Term One.

This schedule is for next week and the first week of Term Two. The training schedule from Week 2 onwards will differ ONLY for all year 5 and 6 football players. It will remain the same for all of the rest of the College.

All teams training at Villa Park will be bussed to the venue. Parents are responsible for collecting their son/s after training from all venues.

Please note finishing times differ for year 5 and 6 students to the rest of the College. Parents are asked to be at the training venues on time to pick up their sons. Students not collected within 15mins of training concluding will be brought back to Goold Hall where they will wait outside the foyer.

Date Claimers (as per College Calendar)

AIC Rugby and Football Internal Trials (1st and 2nds Rugby and Football v SLC) Saturday 25th March (all teams)

AIC Rugby and Football trial v SPLC Saturday 22nd April (all teams)

Football/Rugby Referees

With the growing number of teams and with split venues, we are in desperate need of Football and Rugby referees. If you can assist with refereeing games, please contact:

Music

It’s hard to believe that we now have less than a fortnight to the end of term… What a whirlwind!

Junior School Music

Our Year 5 ensemble rehearsals went ahead fantastically with all of our students here, keen, and ready to play. I would like to thank all of our parents for their support in ensuring the boys were here and prepared. I would also like to thank you for your continued enthusiasm throughout the year! The success of this activity lies much in the support our students receive at home.

We will meet again next Tuesday during the last week of term so that we can set up some great habits before the holidays. I look forward to seeing you all here again next Tuesday.

Augustine Centre Sign-in / Sign-out Protocols

As per a previous newsletter and email home, we have embraced technology in the Augustine Centre and students will be using the electronic kiosk to sign in and out of all instrumental music lessons. Students are reminded that this is a vital process in assisting us with tracking student attendance within the College and also provides us essential information in the case of a lock-down or fire evacuation procedure.

Students are reminded that they are to bring their student card with them every time they visit the Augustine Centre.

Irish Ensemble – Well Done!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank and congratulate our Irish Ensemble and Mr Adkins for their work at the end of last week. The students performed well for our special guests at the recent St Patrick’s Day assembly and did a fantastic job at the International Carnival on Saturday evening just past.

Combined Symphony Orchestra – performance early Term Two

Our Combined Loreto and Villanova College Symphony Orchestra will be performing at one of Loreto College’s music evenings next term. The concert is on Friday 21st April. Students will be bussed from Villanova College at the end of school to Loreto for a rehearsal. A light snack will be provided for the students before we prepare for the start of the concert. The concert commences at 6:30pm and we will be the first item. Students are encouraged to remain with their families for the remainder of the concert; however, parents may collect their sons after the performance.

Further information has been distributed to students involved via email.

Big Band Performance – ANZAC Concert – April 29th

Our Big Band has been invited to participate in the Carindale Salvation Army ANZAC Commemoration concert. The students will be providing a short bracket of music (15-20 minutes) during the evening. Further information has been distributed via email. We require musicians to attend rehearsal to ensure we are prepared for this event.

2017 Tour Information

We are proceeding with our tours to Rockhampton (June 2017) and Rotorua (June/July 2017). Information for both groups have been sent home via email this week.

For our Rotorua tourists, there are a number of pressing concerns we need to address. Please check for the correspondence this week and refer to our timelines. We will require urgent personal information from you and need students to visit us in the Music Office for sizing of tour clothing and measure and weigh instruments.

We are looking forward to these opportunities and sharing them with our students. Thank you in advance for assisting us in meeting those timelines.

2017/18 Entertainment Book Drive

2017/18 Entertainment Book drive has commenced with all presale envelopes handed to all Year 5 and 6 students, and all Middle and Senior School students participating in ensembles at Villanova College.

This fundraiser is held for our Music Support Group and their mission to support students travelling on tour. $13 of every book sale supports our music department. If your son sells up to 2 books, the monies raised goes towards our support group; for every book after the second, your son will receive a $13 tour credit stored in perpetuity against his name at Villanova College, for the use of Music Tours only. Support our fantastic Music Support Group with this annual fundraiser.

Please see the flyer attached to this week’s newsletter with a link for all online purchases.

Absenteeism – Lessons and Rehearsals

To assist us with our record keeping and home communication, please ensure you notify the Music Office in writing (email is ideal) of any absence from a lesson or rehearsal. Please remember that those lessons missed without notification are not required to be ‘made up’ by our staff. Staff have been requested to contact home regarding any unexplained absence so that we may communicate quickly and effectively and ensure more proactive attendance in some cases.

Curriculum

2017 Semester 1 Interim Reports

These reports have been available through TASS Parent Lounge since 3pm Monday, 20 March. The reports do not indicate a specific grade for a subject, but rather provide an outline of how the student is working in class and his engagement with the learning process at this point in time. There is not enough evidence from assessment items to be able to award a grade in each subject. The semester report serves this purpose and is a more comprehensive and detailed document of student achievement.

Please be aware that although a teacher may not have specifically asked for a conference interview with you, please feel welcome to talk to any or all of your son’s teachers about how your son is progressing in his subjects in the upcoming Parent Teacher Conferences. This is a significant time to receive detailed feedback on your son and to talk to teachers about how we can collectively assist your son in his learning.

Parent Lounge provides parents with specific grades for individual assessment items, supplementing the information contained on the Interim Report. This provides parents with a lot of information about their son’s academic progress, timetable and upcoming assessment items and I would encourage you to visit the portal regularly. If you experience any difficulty logging on or gaining access, please contact Mrs Kathryn Hackett on 3394 5501 or khackett@vnc.qld.edu.au.

Parent Teacher Conferences

As previously advertised, Parent-Teacher conferences will be held for Years 5 – 12 from 9am – 8.00pm on Monday, 24 April. For the first time, parents of Years 5 and 6 will be able to book interviews with their son’s instrumental music teacher. The conferences will each be of 10 minutes’ duration, using an online booking system – Parent Teacher Online (PTO). Further information regarding log in details will be sent to families by the end of this week.

There is an expectation that all students will attend these interviews in full academic uniform.

Historically Year 5 and 6 Drama, Music and Italian teachers have been heavily booked by Year 5 and 6 parents, as the one subject teacher teaches the entire cohort. So that these teachers can be booked by parents in other classes across the College, the Year 5 and 6 parents will have a delayed opening of the program for these specific subjects. Year 5 and 6 teachers will have full access to their son’s core teacher at the beginning of the online booking process.

Special Provisions for the 2017 QCS tests

Special provision is available to students who are affected by a medical condition, an impairment or exceptional circumstances that may act as a barrier to their access to the test or to their demonstration of achievement in the test. If your son has any long-term medical conditions/impairments, there is an application process requiring medical documentation. These documentation requirements are outlined in the QCS Test: 2017 Special provision handbook, available from www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/senior/qcs-test/special-provision. Please ask you son to visit the Curriculum Office for further information.

Parent Information

VILLANOVA OLD BOYS – ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

The Villanova Old Boys Annual General Meeting will be held Monday, 27 March at 6:30pm in the Chapter Room, located on the upper level of the Augustine Centre. All Old Boys of the College are invited and encouraged to attend. A unique opportunity exists, whereby positions within the management committee will be vacated, allowing for YOU to help shape the future of VOBAI. I look forward to seeing many of you, at this years AGM.

UNIFORM SHOP HOURS

To enable students and parents to purchase blazers and other required winter uniform items, the Uniform Shop will be open everyday next week from 7:45am to 10am. The last week of term, the Uniform Shop will open from Monday to Thursday from 7:45am – 10am.

Online orders (placed on the previous day) can be collected on Monday, Thursday and Friday between 11:30am and 12pm.

Calendar of Events

International Carnival

Sports Lunch

The Villanova Sports Committee is once again running the very popular Sports Lunch on Friday, May 19, 2017.

This year we have the wonderful Kerry “Skull” O’Keeffe as our key note speaker. Kerry is a very engaging speaker and will keep everyone well and truly entertained for the afternoon. Josh Robinson, a 2002 Old Boy, who came ninth in javelin at the Rio Olympics will also be admitted to the Hall of Fame.

All funds raised from the Sports Lunch will go directly back to the students of Villanova College by way of improving school sports facilities, so we would love to see as many parents as possible attend the lunch and all are most welcome. The all-inclusive price of $140 includes a wonderful two course meal and a premium drinks package for four hours.

Sponsorship opportunities from $200 up to Gold Level are also currently available, so please contact Jon Winsbury on 0417 199 122 for further details.

Please see the attached invitation and click on the link to book – it is that easy.